Drawbar-yoke



C. E. BAUER.

DRAWBAR YOKE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2. i920.

1,375,768. Patented Apr. 26,1921.

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CARL E. BAUER, 0F HAMMOND, INDIANA.

DRAWBAR-YOKE.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed October 2, 1920. Serial No. 414,296.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL E. BAUER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawbar-Yokes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway draft rigging structures and particularly to a novel draw bar yoke.

One of the objects in the construction of the device here disclosed is to provide a connection between the yoke member and a sleeve or head, which connection shall be firm and strong, the desired result being secured without aperturing or otherwise weakening the yoke arms. Thus the full strength of the metal is secured.

MA further object is to provide in a connection of the kind described means permitting limited relative movement between .the head and yoke arms, this movement being permitted by providing curved surfaces at the intersection of the arms with the head. As a further improvement, I upset or thicken the arms at the point of bend and thus increase the strength 0f the connection.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing a yoke constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, a draw bar beincr shown in section.

n the drawings it will be seen that the device comprises a head which is in the form of a rectangular sleeve having side walls 10 and top and bottom walls 11. The side walls are provided with extensions or ears 12, having slots adapted to accommodate a transverse key 13, by means of which the head is secured to a draw bar 14.

The walls 11 are provided with transverse elongated slits or openings 15, located near the rear edge of the walls, the metal 16 at the rear of the openings being` displaced laterally to an extent substantially equal to the thickness of the metal composing the walls. As the device is manufactured this section of metal is displaced to a greater extentin order to provide for the insertion of the ends of the yoke about to be described. The yoke member includes two arms 17, the forward ends of which are bent around the rounded front edges 18, of the walls 11. These edges, as best shown in Fig. 2, are not only rounded but formed on a curve and the portions of the arms which contact therewith are similarly shaped thereby permitting a certain degree of relative movement between the head, which is rigidlyconiiected to the draw bar, and the yoke. At the point of bend of the arms, the arms are upset and thickened, as indicated at 19, to provide a greater body of metal at the point of greatest strain and wear. The terminal portions of the arms are then bent Vbackwardly parallel with the arms and enter the openings 15, formed in the walls, the extremities 20 of the arms being brought substantially into contact with the straight portions of the arms.

In order to secure the result shown in the drawings the bent-back portions of the arms are originally straight and the portions 16 of metal are displaced or forced inwardly to an extent to permit the extremities of the backwardly bent portions to lie inside thereof without being bent. Thereafter the portions 16, including the extremities 20, are forced outwardly into the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings; that is, the sections 16 are returned to their original or normal positions. The final position of the parts is secured by giving the metal a permanent set and when the parts are thus positioned they are locked in place. The bent-back portions of the arms, as best shown in Fig. 2, are tapered whereby the extremities 2O thereof are considerably narrower than the openings 15 in the walls. The portions 19 of metal, which bind the eX- tremities of the arms in place are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the draw bar and the outer surfaces of the sections 16 of metal lie substantially parallel to the inner surfaces of the straight portions of the bent-back portions of the arms.

In a construction such as described, it will be seen that the yoke cannot be separated from the head by any pull less than that which would distort the structure and the connection is as secure as though the yoke and head were lcast or formed integrally. The advantage secured, however, is in that a certain degree of movement is permitted between these parts, this movement being desirable if not actually necessary. l

Obviously the construction shown might be reversed; that is, the yoke arms might lie alongside of the draw bar butt and bentback portions lie on top of the head instead of Within it. Obviously also other modifications may be made and I do not Wish to be limited except as indicatedin the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a draft rigging yoke, the combination of a sleeve adapted to surround and be connected to a coupler butt, the sleeve being provided with apertures in opposite side Walls; and a yoke the free ends of the arms of which are bent around the apertured sides of the sleeve, the extremities of the bent portions being projected into the apertures in the sleeve and into substantial contact With the straight portion of the arms.

2. ln a draft rigging yoke, the combination of a sleeve adapted to surround and be connected to a coupler butt, the sleeve having four side Walls tivo of Which are slitted,

the metal at one side of each slit being laterally displaced to an extent equal to sub- V stantially the thickness of the yoke arms,

and a yoke the extremities of which are bent 4into the form of hooks, the terininalportions of the hooks being bent to enter the slits in the sleeve Walls and lie alongside of the straight portions of the arms.

3. In a draft yoke, the combination of a rectangular metal sleeve adapted to surround a coupler butt, opposite Walls of the sleeve having elongated transverse apertures, the metal to the rear of the apertures being displaced laterally to bring the displaced portions substantially into contact .vith a coupler butt, and a yoke, the ends of which are bent around the front edge of the apertured sides, thence backwardly and through the apertures.

4. In a draft yoke, the combination of a rectangular metal sleeve adapted to surround a coupler butt, opposite Walls of the sleeve having elongated transverse apertures, the metal to the rear` of the apertures being displaced laterally7 to an extent subn stantially equal to the thickness of the metal Wall, the forward edge of the apertured Wall being curved, and a yoke the ends of which are bent around said curved edge and then bent backWardly and threaded into said apertures.

5. In a draft yoke, the combination of a sleeve having side Walls each provided with an elongated opening extending transversely of the sleeve and located near the rear edge thereof the metal between the opening and said rear edge being displaced laterally to an extent substantially equal to the thickness of the metal composing said Walls, and

a yoke the Vfree ends of the arms of which are bent around the forward edges of the side Walls and then bent laterally to enter the openings in the side Walls. y

Signed at Chicago, Ill., this th day of September, 1920.

CARL E. BAUER. 

